No erg blues

iain pope · Post by **iain pope** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:47 pm

Does anybody else get completely, and utterly unreasonable, tetchy and daft if the demands of everyday life conspire to keep them from rowing machine?

example - today a dear old friend who i rarely see from one end of the year to the other was due to visit Edinburgh briefly. I'm working late shifts in Glasgow (i commute) and he was going to be in Edinburgh for lunch.

Fine. Plan was to meet him, have lunch, bugger off along the motorway through light mid-afternoon traffic and still have time for 15k on my office gym before lurching to my desk.

So far so good, except his flight was delayed by an hour and-a-half.

As the chances of me ever making the gym evaporated i sullenly sat through lunch thinking "yes yes yes yada yada yada, how bout you just shut up so i can at least get a measly 5k in " as i watched the clock tick down.

Now i know normal people would tell me to get a grip, forget the bloody erg and interact properly with my pal, but normal people would not be fixated with the meter board.

Neither would normal people be full of self-loathing if they'd slipped a few places on the metre board because THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO DO!!

Am i alone in reacting this way when real life, in whatever form it takes, gets in the way?

alistairkbs · Post by **alistairkbs** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:55 pm

No Ian you are "normal" for an erger !

I've walked out of evening meetings at work (pointless NHS meetings to be fair) simply to go home and get some metres in.

"Glad " to see you back and no doubt you'll pass me by again along with Mr Victory and Mr Devereux

Stan · Post by **Stan** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:00 pm

All sounds normal to me Iain. Earlier this week I was told I may have to go to China for a week in March. All I could think of was all the metres I will miss and how far down the metre board I will slip.

jainser · Post by **jainser** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:08 pm

I never think of the metre board...........'twitch'..........I mean come on guys we..............'twitch'..............have lifes to lead don't we....................'twitch'.....................it's not like the dam metres board is...............'twitch'..................taking over is it?

Paul Victory · Post by **Paul Victory** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:21 pm

Yes Alistair, I have you in my sights, but I think Max is going to catch me before I catch you.

Iain, you are definitely not alone. I left work around 8:15 tonight after a very long and busy day, yet my first thought when leaving the office was not the pub, but the gym. This is in spite of the fact that I did over 25k yesterday and should really have taken it easy today.

And I recently booked a hotel in Vilamoura for a few days break early next month and spent ages trying to find one with an erg so that I wouldn't have to miss nearly a week's rowing. I've booked somewhere with a gym, but I've no idea if they've an erg, so it may be a chance for you to pass me again in the meter board.

Paul

Jessica-Red · Post by **Jessica-Red** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:14 am

Real life --whats that!

with no erging-???

No No please No! dont make me stop!

Tom Barrick · Post by **Tom Barrick** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:35 am

I know what you mean, all the way through. Not only am I feeling horrible from the flu, but the not rowing part is killing me, making me feverish. I think it's somewhat like smoking addiction or what have you. You aren't getting to do what you want, for progression's sake, and are just waiting...waiting..waiting. Like Jainser's post, I feel that way with the twitches.

Also a bit of depression(maybe desperation?) that plays into it. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's there. There was a period of time when I stopped for several days and couldn't get myself motivated to start again. Not good. Might be an apt decision to take a day or two off each week from here on out...as long as it's not in January.

Gooner Neil · Post by **Gooner Neil** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:06 pm

Hello my name is Neil. I've been, er, erging for four years. Look I'm not bad I never do it OTW. I, er, used to control it was a weekend thing really didn't do alot may be ten minutes. But I found myself doing it more and more. My supplier even showed me where to get my own one. I've got hooked. I'm ashamed to say that I've done it infront of my children and not gone out to see friends in order to do it.

Now I'm rowing every day. If I can't I get shaky, ratty and emotional. I also start putting on weight. A friend who has never done rowing and has always been against it has told me to get help. There's a rowing substitute that can be got. It's called running. I've tried it but it doesn't give me the same buzz so I keep coming back and erging up.

I joined a group and the erging has changed. There's some ergers in the US and elsewhere in our group who have access to real pure erging. They are real erg junkies they erg up for over 5 hours a day. Real life San Fransisco hippies they are.

So my name is Neil. I am a rowing addict. However until I rob an old Granny in order to buy a Free Spirit racing vest I think I can control it

webberg · Post by **webberg** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 1:01 am

Iain, oh - how sad.

There is more to life than the erg?

I confess though I'm in your camp.

I don't row at weekends - that's family time.

So MaxDev is "less than a inute" behind me and I think "so what" and then row 12k

What does he do? Row 12.25k.

Tomorrow (today) I plan 15k.

What will he do? probably 20k.

Bleeding from the eyes is normal - what is "real life"?

Tom Barrick · Post by **Tom Barrick** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 9:09 am

I am starting to wonder why I rowed so much at the beginning of the year. I don't have the competitions you all are currently having fun with.

I have to hold off poor Zach, who is tapering. For a fact, definitely going to row a bit less next year and work on faster pieces, and be among everyone.

With regards to the "no erging makes me feel unhappy" syndrome, I said "screw the health today, let's get some work done." Less depressed, but with a slight fever. I LOVE rowing!